Normal accident theory validated: interactive complexity and resource availability as predictors of reliability

Author

Wolf, Frederick G.

Author_Institution

Pacific Lutheran Univ., Tacoma, WA, USA

fYear

2002

fDate

2002

Firstpage

98

Lastpage

103

Abstract

This paper identifies resource availability as an important organizational factor associated with coupling, one of the two variables associated with system risk, according to Perrow´s Normal Accident Theory. By investigating a sample (n=70) of petroleum refineries located in the United States during the five-year period, 1993-97, a statistically significant (p=.01) relationship between resource availability and reliability as indicated by the incidence of accidental hazardous substance releases (RQs) was identified. Tight coupling may not be just a requirement of a manufacturing process, but may result from managerial decisions based upon budgetary factors and stresses

Keywords

accidents; failure analysis; oil refining; petroleum industry; reliability; risk management; Perrow´s Normal Accident Theory; USA; accidental hazardous substance releases; budgetary factors; budgetary stresses; managerial decisions; manufacturing process; organizational factor; petroleum refineries; reliability; resource availability; system risk; Accidents; Availability; Financial management; Manufacturing processes; Petroleum; Refining; Reliability theory; Safety; Stress; Taxonomy;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Reliability and Maintainability Symposium, 2002. Proceedings. Annual

Conference_Location

Seattle, WA

ISSN

0149-144X

Print_ISBN

0-7803-7348-0

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/RAMS.2002.981626

Filename

981626